U.S. patent application number 13/096706 was filed with the patent office on 2011-11-03 for hat with integrated headband and hair sheath.
Invention is credited to Matthew Nolan.
Application Number | 20110265247 13/096706 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44857060 |
Filed Date | 2011-11-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110265247 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nolan; Matthew |
November 3, 2011 |
HAT WITH INTEGRATED HEADBAND AND HAIR SHEATH
Abstract
A head covering is provided. In one example, a covering includes
a cap and a headband having a back portion. The headband is affixed
to the cap such that the back portion is detached from the cap. In
another example, a method of manufacturing a cap is provided. The
method comprises affixing a headband comprising a back portion to a
cap, wherein the back portion is detached from the cap. The method
further comprises affixing a sheath to a sheath adapter and
affixing the sheath adapter to the headband.
Inventors: |
Nolan; Matthew;
(Minneapolis, MN) |
Family ID: |
44857060 |
Appl. No.: |
13/096706 |
Filed: |
April 28, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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61329660 |
Apr 30, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
2/181 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 1/225 20130101;
A42B 1/0187 20210101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/181 |
International
Class: |
A42C 5/00 20060101
A42C005/00 |
Claims
1. A covering, comprising: a cap; and a headband having a back
portion, wherein the headband is affixed to the cap such that the
back portion is detached from the cap.
2. The covering of claim 1, further comprising: a sheath adapter,
wherein the sheath adapter is affixed to the headband.
3. The covering of claim 2, further comprising: a sheath, wherein
the sheath is affixed to the sheath adapter.
4. The covering of claim 3, wherein the sheath is formed into a
cylindrical tube open at a first end.
5. The covering of claim 3, wherein an opening is formed between
the sheath adapter and the sheath.
6. The covering of claim 3, wherein the sheath comprises a length
of approximately one millimeter to approximately two meters.
7. The covering of claim 1, further comprising: wherein the
headband is approximately half the length of a circumference of the
widest portion of the cap; and wherein the headband is affixed to
the cap at two approximately opposing points on the cap.
8. The covering of claim 1, wherein the headband is affixed to an
underside of the cap.
9. The covering of claim 1, wherein the headband comprises an
elastic material.
10. The covering of claim 1, wherein the cap comprises one of an
elastic material, leather, a cotton material, a synthetic material,
or combinations thereof.
11. The covering of claim 1, wherein the cap comprises a shape
approximately matching one of a portion of an ovoid, a portion of a
sphere, or a human head.
12. A method of manufacturing a cap, comprising: affixing a
headband comprising a back portion to a cap, wherein the back
portion is detached from the cap; affixing a sheath to a sheath
adapter; and affixing the sheath adapter to the headband.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein affixing the sheath to the
sheath adapter further comprises attaching a first edge of the
sheath circumferentially around a perimeter of a hole defined in
the sheath adapter.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the cap has a shape
approximating a portion of a sphere.
15. A method of wearing a head covering, comprising: folding a
first half of the cap at least partially over a second half of the
cap; placing a cap over a head, such that a sheath coupled to the
cap is orientated towards a back of the head; pulling hair attached
to the head through the sheath; and unfolding the first half of the
cap from the second half of the cap.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: rolling up the
sheath prior to pulling the hair through the sheath.
17. The method of claim 15, further comprising: putting the cap
around a neck, wherein the sheath portion is located between the
neck and hair.
Description
PRIORITY
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/329,660, filed Apr. 30, 2010, entitled "HAT WITH
INTEGRATED HEADBAND AND MODULAR HAIR SHEATH," the entire content of
which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A typical cap usually loses its purchase on the back of a
user's skull, especially when the user's hair extends below the
cap. Loosing purchase causes the cap to slip forward, fall off,
mess the user's hair, or cause discomfort. In addition, typical
caps hold user's hair against their neck, causing discomfort and
possibly wetting the hair, for example, with sweat during physical
exertion.
SUMMARY
[0003] A head covering is provided. In one example, a covering
includes a cap and a headband having a back portion. The headband
is affixed to the cap such that the back portion is detached from
the cap. In another example, a method of manufacturing a cap is
provided. The method comprises affixing a headband comprising a
back portion to a cap, wherein the back portion is detached from
the cap. The method further comprises affixing a sheath to a sheath
adapter and affixing the sheath adapter to the headband.
DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a side pictorial view of one embodiment of a short
hair head covering.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a side pictorial of one embodiment of a wide
sheath head covering.
[0006] FIG. 3 is a side pictorial of one embodiment of a long hair
head covering in different states of being worn to show all
components.
[0007] FIGS. 4 through 11 show an example method of using a long
hair head covering.
[0008] FIG. 12 is a side pictorial of an example bandana version of
a short hair head covering.
[0009] FIG. 13 is a side pictorial of an example bandana version of
a long hair head covering with a sheath.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] Embodiments described herein provide a head covering with an
integrated headband. Alternative embodiments describe a knit cap,
skullcap, bandana, or do-rag with an additional and fully
integrated headband. The integrated headband allows the wearer with
any hair style to benefit from the sleek look of a closely fitting
cap by providing additional grip. Also, the headband allows a
longhaired wearer to benefit from the comfort and moisture wicking
qualities that a headband provides by laying against the skin of
the forehead and between the skin of the neck and the hairline at
the skull's base.
[0011] Embodiments of the integrated headband described herein hold
the cap effectively by sitting lower on the user's skull and
against their neck while being pressed down by the weight of the
user's hair and the back of the cap. Also, embodiments of the
integrated headband hold the hair off the neck. Alternate
embodiments of the integrated headband further comprise a sheath.
The sheath, for example, holds the user's hair away from their
neck. For relatively long to very long hair styles, the sheath, for
example, reduces the likelihood that the hair becomes tangled by
wind, reduces "hat hair" (for example, an impression of a hat on
the user's hair once the hat is removed) by holding the hair
neatly. The sheath also may reduce the chance of the hair from
getting caught in machinery or from falling into food, for
example.
[0012] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a side view of an embodiment of
a head covering 100 (also referred to herein as a covering). The
head covering 100 comprises a cap 101 and a headband 102. In this
embodiment, the head covering 100 is a short haired version that
can be implemented for people with nearly any hair length. The
headband 102 is comprised of a strip of material and is affixed to
the inside of the cap 101. One embodiment of the headband 102 is
comprised of a stretch material, such as elastic. Furthermore, any
part of the head covering 100 comprises materials including for
example elastics, leather, cotton, synthetics, or combinations
thereof. In one implementation the headband 102 is placed between a
user's neck and hair, while the back portion of the cap 101 goes
over the user's hair. Various embodiments of the head covering
including any shape, cutting, design, and the like are
contemplated.
[0013] In some examples, the cap has an approximate shape of a
portion of a sphere or a portion of an ovoid. The cap may have a
shape approximating that of a human head.
[0014] In one embodiment, the headband 102 creates tension that
forms the head covering 100 to the user's head. The headband 102
may provide under the hair comfort and performance. The cap 101 may
provide over the hair appearance by covering the skull and hair
from part way down on a user's forehead to near the base of the
user's skull. The cap 101 may smooth the hair to reduce tangles,
may provide comfort while being worn under a helmet, or may wick
moisture from the user's forehead. The head covering 100 may be
used by users with shorter hair styles, for example, a short bob
style haircut or a "duck's tail" hair style. The head covering 100
may also allow users with hair exceeding the minimum length
required to make a ponytail, for example, shoulder length hair to
waist length hair, to display their hair if they do not desire
containment. As described herein, long hair and short hair are
relative terms and are not necessarily limited to any specific
length of hair.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a side pictorial of one embodiment of a wide
sheath head covering 200. In one embodiment, the wide sheath head
covering 200 is a do rag style. The wide sheath head covering 200
comprises a cap 201, a headband 202, and a wide sheath 203. The
wide sheath 203 covers the hair and can have any width from
approximately the width of the user's neck to the width of their
shoulders. The materials described above with respect to head
covering 100 can be used to construct the wide sheath head covering
200. The wide sheath head covering 200 may provide the same
performance achieved by the headband 102 in FIG. 1 by providing the
appearance of a do rag and providing a headband that lays between
the hair at the base of the skull and the skin of the neck. The
sheath can move around (for example, blow in the wind) and still
may reduce tangles in the user's hair, thereby mimicking the hair
itself and appealing to users who desire a different appearance
than their hair alone.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a side pictorial of one embodiment of a long hair
head covering 300. The long hair head covering 300 comprises a cap
301, a headband 302, a sheath adapter 303, and a sheath 304. These
elements can be constructed from the same breadth of materials as
the short hair head covering 100. One embodiment of the sheath 304
is the length of the user's hair, however sheath 304 can be any
length. The sheath 304 is any width, for example, from
approximately the width of the user's neck to the width of a bound
ponytail. For example, a circumference of the sheath 304 may be
anywhere from approximately 1 centimeters (cm) to approximately 60
cm. The long hair head covering 300 may provide a high level of
functionality for vigorous physical exertion or activities
requiring protection from food contamination or tangling in
dangerous machinery. The cap 301 and the sheath 304 contain the
hair. The sheath adapter 303 attaches the sheath 304 to the cap 301
and the headband 302. Examples of the long hair covering 300 may be
used by users who do not have long hair.
[0017] Because the construction of the long hair head covering 300
is smooth in one embodiment, it may be comfortable under a helmet
and other headgear. For example, the smoothness may not interfere
with the safety of a helmet because it may not interfere with
proper helmet positioning. Such helmets may include hard hats, rock
and ice climbing helmets, full face motorcycle or snowmobile
helmets that grip the head at the base of the skull, or other types
of head coverings. In some examples, the head covering 100 or long
hair head covering 300 may be incorporated into a helmet. A head
covering 100 or the long hair head covering 300 incorporated into a
helmet may be affixed to the helmet.
[0018] A smoothness of the long hair head covering 300 may allow
the long hair head covering 300 to be worn under a balaclava or
other soft headware product, and functions to prevent the movement
of the helmet or balaclava from causing the hair to encroach onto
the forehead and into a user's eyes. Thus, the long hair head
covering 300 may provide relative comfort even if the long haired
user is also wearing a balaclava, goggles, full face helmet, and
neck brace. Without a hair management system in these scenarios,
the hair may become tangled, wet, or uncomfortable against the back
of the user's neck and forehead. The long hair head covering 300
reduces the probability of these problems occurring.
[0019] FIGS. 4 through 11 show a step by step method for using the
long hair head covering 300. The method for using the short hair
head covering 100 is described adequately by viewing only FIGS. 4,
5, 6, and 10. The hair may be pulled or placed into a ponytail, for
example with an elastic hair tie, as in FIG. 4. Turn the cap 301
inside out as in FIG. 4, then roll up the sheath 304 all the way up
against the sheath adapter 303. Pull the long hair head covering
300 at least partially over the forehead by grasping the folded
crown so that it sits below the hair as in FIGS. 5 and 6, for
example, as though applying a simple hair band. As shown in FIG. 7,
pull the ponytail through the narrow sheath 304 and sheath adapter
303 with the index finger and thumb. If a hair tie was used while
the ponytail was pulled through the narrow sheath 304, the hair tie
may be removed. In other examples, the hair tie may be retained,
for example, for after the user has removed the long hair head
covering 300. FIG. 8 demonstrates how one example of the long hair
head covering 300 looks from the rear after the hair has been
pulled through the narrow sheath 304. Roll down the narrow sheath
304 as in FIG. 9. As in FIG. 10, grasp the front of the cap 301
with one hand, and pull the rear of the cap 301 with the other hand
thereby turning the long hair head covering 300 right side out and
positioning the cap 301 at the rear of the skull. When complete,
the long hair head covering 300 should look as in FIG. 11.
[0020] FIGS. 12 and 13 show the versatility of the design, as the
cap may be constructed with a material that does not stretch, for
example a cotton bandana. The cap may be constructed of a single
piece of material. One example of single piece construction is
shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The cap may be constructed in other ways
including, but not limited to fixing multiple pieces of material
together to form the cap. In FIGS. 12 and 13, the cap is applied
with a knot, but it could also be a no knot system.
[0021] Examples also comprise a method of manufacturing a cap. An
example method may comprise affixing a headband comprising a back
portion to a cap, wherein the back portion is detached from the
cap. The method may further comprise affixing a sheath to a sheath
adapter and affixing the sheath adapter to the headband. Affixing
the sheath to the sheath adapter may further include attaching a
first edge of the sheath circumferentially around a perimeter of a
hole defined in the sheath adapter. As used herein, affixing
relates to directly attaching one component to another. Also as
used herein, coupling relates to directly or indirectly attaching
one component to another. For example, one component, such as a
sheath, may be coupled to a cap, wherein the sheath may affixed to
a sheath adapter, wherein the sheath adapter may be affixed to a
headband, and the headband may be affixed to the cap.
[0022] An example method of wearing a head covering may include
folding a first half of the cap at least partially over a second
half of the cap and placing a cap over a head, such that a sheath
coupled to the cap is orientated towards a back of the head. The
method may further include pulling hair attached to the head
through the sheath and unfolding the first half of the cap from the
second half of the cap. The method may further include rolling up
the sheath prior to pulling the hair through the sheath. Also, the
method may include putting the cap around a neck, wherein the
sheath portion is located between the neck and hair.
* * * * *